ABSTRACT
YELLOW A very minor colour in modern western clothing and textiles, without significant symbolism or social meanings, not particularly aesthetically valued. To appreciate its many roles and meanings in Greek and Roman society, we should consider its important place in Buddhist cultures, cf. SAFFRON. Ancient evidence for yellow is complicated since Greek and Latin did not possess general terms for ORANGE. Greek texts do not often mention yellows other than SAFFRON – krokos was not a general colour term – for textiles: when they do, these too are obvious DYE terms (melinos, melinoeides, thapsinos). The most general yellow term (xanthos) is applied only to HAIR in the clothing field. Both Greek and Latin also use ‘golden’ for pleasing yellows (aureus, chrysoeides) although sometimes GOLD itself may be
meant. Latin distinguishes between yellows, but saffron is not as uniformly distinct, see croceus, crocotulus. The main Latin yellow terms are flavus – the more general, like xanthos often applied to hair – and luteus, probably from dyer’s weld, one of the most common yellow dyes.
